Set of contact springs for electrical switching apparatus



May 2, 1939 s. D. VIGREN ET AL, 2,55,465L

SET OF CONTACT SPRINGS FOR ELECTRICAL SWITCHING APPARATUS Filed March lO, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l Fig.

\l l, 8 s C 5 l 2y/A k o 0 i L z /2 By m5 May 2 1939. s. D. vlGREN ET AL I 2,156,465

SET OF CONTACT SPRINGS FOR ELECTRICAL SWITCHING APPARATUS Filed March lO. 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 0\ mm smv Mufti. visfQV-p 595A/ 5.05m,

sir' Avr 7.

Patented May 2, 1939 l .l I 'Y i y l l A UNITED STATES PATENT' OFFICE SET OF CONTACT SPRINGS FOR ELECTRICAL SWITCHING APPARATUS Sten Daniel Vigren and Sven Gilstaf Filip Blomquist, Stockholm, Sweden Application March 10, 1936, Serial No. 68,014

6 Claims. (Cl. 20D-166) The present invention relates to new and useaway, of another embodiment of the support for ful improvements in electrical switching appathe springs;

ratus and equipments preferably for telephone Figure 10 is a plan view, an i and signal systems and refers to improved sets of Figure 11 a front elevational view of the same contact springs for such switching apparatus and support. 5 equipments, like relays, selectors, crossbar Referring to the drawings and more particuswitches, for example for common-battery and larly to Figs. 1 and 2, I is a relay frame, which automatic telephone. telegraph and signaling supports the electromagnet M, its armature A, Y systems in general. and one or more sets of contact spring groups, It is well known, that the greatest difiiculty asaccording to this invention. Said contact springs 1 sociated with that kind of switching equipments, are operated by the armature A. In Figs. 1 and has been to find types of contact springs, which 2 there is shown, for sake of simplicity, only one give a reliable Contact under all conditions, are group of springs containing one makeand one cheap in 'manufacture and in mounting and break-contact. The frame comprises two screws, i3 which, above all, require a minimum of adjust- 3, for fastening the contact springs Sl--S4 to 15 ment during mounting as well as in service. The an insulating block 2, consisting of a bottom plate problem is thus partly to iind a suitable contact and three insulating washers 5, between which spring and partly to mount this spring in assothe springs are fastened by means of nuts 4. A ciation with other similar springs to forma suitplate 6 is disposed on top of spring Si and in- 2O able set or group of Contact springs. sulated from same by an insulation 1. In order to 20 The present invention solved this and other x the immovable springs S2 and S3 of the conproblems by the construction of improved types tact spring group, a spring support 8, is attached of sets of contact springs, which offer great adto and forms part of the block 2, said support vantages over the springs used heretofore, such as` bein-g provided with alternate openings Il, and

2,-, greater reliability without minute and expensive tips I2, for cooperation with the lugs Ill, of the adjustments before and during service, constant immovable springs. The movable springs SI and Contact pressure, even under constant use during y S4 are operated by the armature by means of long periods of time etc. specially constructed insulated stud 9, which is Several embodiments of the present invention fastened to the armature.

are illustrated in the accompanying drawings in The form of the contact spring proper is clearly 30 whichillustrated in Figs. 3a, 3b, 3c, 4a, 4b, 4c, which Figure 1 is a plan view of an ordinary type of show two different embodiments. According to multi-contact relay, generally used in automatic this invention each spring is stiffened part of its telephony and arranged acording to this invenlength by giving it a vU shaped cross section as tion. in Fig. 3c or a T-shaped cross section as in Fig. 35

Figure 2 is an elevational view of the relay 4c. 'I'hese special cross sections can easily be shown in Fig. 1 with one breakand one makeobtained in one operation, during manufacture contact group. of the spring. The special cross-sectional shapes Figures 3a, 3b, 3c and 3d are elevational, plan shown and described are of course not the only .l0 and cross sectional views, respectively,. of one ones conceivable. They represent but examples 40 embodiment of a'contact. of how the characteristic stiffenin'g effect of part Figures 4a, 4b and 4c are elevational, plan and of the spring, according to the present invention,

cross sectional views, respectively, of another can be obtained, by shaping said part into a stiif type of contact spring according to this invenand straight bar. One end of the spring is formed tion. v as a soldering eyeA I3 (Figs. 3b and 4b), while the Figures 5, 6 and 'I are a bottom plan view, front other end is provided with a contact surface or elevational view and top plan view, respectively, of tip I 4 of known shape. The spring is further proa unit section of a crossbar switch, intended for vided with an aperture I5 for receiving the above 100 numbers, the entire switch being 'composed mentioned stud 8 (Fig. 2). Aperture I5 is located v of ten such units, each one containing ten sets immediately before the point of junction between 50 of multi-contact groups, with each group comthe stiflened part and the springy contact end prising 6 make-contact spring groups. of the spring. Two pointed studs I6 are provided Figure 8 is a side elevational view ofthe support for the proper centering of the spring in the conshown in Figs. 1 and 2; tact group. It will be obvious, however, that Figure 9 is an elevational view, partly broken other Ways can be used for centering or adjusting 55 bar switch is obtained.

more flexible than at any other place of its entirev length. v I

Another object of the invention is to give to .the spring, during its manufacture a certain bend,

between the part to be fastened and the stiiened part thereof. In other words the spring is pretensioned. In this way a certain predetermined constant pressure is automatically obtained, by mounting the springs in the corresponding sets of contact springs, so that no adjustment whatsoever, is required. This latter factor was heretofore a great disadvantage in the known contact springs, which caused careful and expensive adjustments with thecorresponding loss of time.

Instead of mounting the contact springs individually as here described, they can of course also be held together in groups or sets by casting around them or associating with them an insulating composition to which the springs adhere.

The following valuable features are associated with contact springs according to this invention: The stiiiened part of the spring; the point of application of stud 9 for operating 4the spring situated within the stiiened part of said spring; the` support 8, with holder tips I2 which serve to hold the immovable springs in protruding position between the contact springs or act as supports for the lugs III (Fig. 3b); another-feature is the fact thatthe holder tips are located within or immediately adjacent to the stiifened part of the springs and the springy action is reserved to a relatively small part of the spring.

The bending i. e. pretensioning of the spring between the part to be fastened and the stiiened part of same, ensures that exact contact pressure is immediately obtained, in assembled position, without expensive subsequent adjustments.

Figures 5, 6 and 7 illustrate the mounting of sets of contact springs, according to this invention, when associated with a crossbar switch or a section unit of the same. A section unit, as shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7, contains ten sets of contact V springs, the immovable springs of which are common to all ten groups. By mounting ten such units in the known way, a hundred number cross- (See for instance the British Patent No. 141,005.)

Each set of contact springs, in this particular case, consists of six movable contact springs I8, which may for instance be constructed like those in Figs. 2 or 3a and six immovable contact springs, which are in the form of' strips I9, covering all ten sets of the unit. The movable contact springs I8 may be fastened as in the relay, shown in Figs. 1 and 2, or attached in rows to strips of vinsulating compound, which afterwards are fastened together to form a block or stack 20. Screws and nuts 2|, which serve to attach the block to the frame 22, also serve to fasten the stack 20 together. A movable armature 23- is associated with frame 22. Armature 23 is common to all ten groups and associated in the known way with a horizontal magnet 24.

The desired set of contact springs is selected, in the known manner, by means of a vertical and a horizontal bar. ated, indicating a certain row of contact groups The vertical bar is first oper.

at right angle to the horizontal sets of contact groups, and in which row the desired contact; group is'situated. As a result the ten intersecting iingers 25, corresponding to this row, said'ngers being indicated in Figs. 5, 6 and l'7, are moved under the studs 26, lsituated under the last movable contact spring in each group. When the `desired horizontal bar is thereafter operated by energization of the vcorresponding horizontal magnet, thev said intersecting nger, which corresponds to said set of contact springs, is held between the said horizontal bar and the stud 26, whereby the six movable springs I 8, of the group are raised and make contact with the corresponding fixed contact springs of strips I9.

The above mentioned advantages obtained vby using contact springs, according to this invention, in combination with crossbar switches are especially important from several points of view. It must merely be considered in this connection that crossbar switch of the type mentioned comprises 600 movable contact springs.

Thanks to the form of contact strips I, with their relatively short springs and the construction of the movable contact springs 2, each one of the 600 contacts of the switch obtains automatically its predetermined contact pressure, when the contact springs are mounted. Thus, costly adjustment of the springs, associated with known crossbar -switches or similar switching equipment which was heretofore required, is entirely eliminated.

An object of this invention is to use the contact springs and groups or sets of the same generally, and We do not wish to be understood as limiting our invention to the exact constructions shown in i (Figs. 1 and 2) said support can be provided with protruding lugs I2, (Fig. 1) or protuberances penetrating between the movable and fixed springs in order to serve as fixed supports for said iixed springs.

There are of course also other ways of fixing the springs in needed positions, but the general object of the invention is the combination of the support 8 (Figs. 1 and 2) with sets of contact springs, whereby the immovable springs are held in Iixed position by means of lugs or protuberances of said support 8, or by lugs protruding from the springs, as shown.

Further details of such support are shown by way of example in Figs. 8, 9, 10 and l1. Fig. 8

shown.

permanent transverse bend dividing the said leafspring in two parts, said two parts being inclined with respect to each other for subsequent pretensioning of the said leaf spring, one of said parts being provided with contact means and the other part comprising fastening means, said leaf spring being relatively weak in a zone adjacent the said bend, in order to facilitate hinge-like movements of the spring, for the purposes described.

2. The article claimed in claim l, in which said leaf spring is further provided with a longitudinal reenforcement disposed between the said contact means and the said bend, a support for said fastening means and supporting the spring and means for straightening out the inclined parts of said spring, whereby the latter is pretensioned.

3. The article claimed in claim l, in which said leaf spring is provided with a cut-out in the vi- `cinity of said bend and between the latter and the said fastening means, a section of the leaf spring between the contact means and the said bend being bent out of the plane of the leaf spring body whereby the latter is stiiened in the said section and means for straightening out the inclined parts of the spring to pre-tension the latter.

4. rlhe article claimed in claim l, in which said leaf spring is provided with a cut-out adjacent said bend and between the latter and the said fastening means, a section of the leaf spring between the Contact means and the said bend being CERTIFICATE Patent No. 2,156,Lt65.

STEN DANEL VIGREN, ET La bent out of the plane of the leaf spring bodyn whereby the latter is stiiened in the said secv tion, said leaf spring being further provided with a supporting lug disposed short of the end of the spring carrying the said contact means, a support associated with the fastening means for supporting the spring and means for straightening out the inclined parts thereof, whereby the said spring is pretensioned.

5. The article claimed in claim l, comprising a support for said leaf spring, the latter being secured to said support by means of said fastening means, and straightening means associated with said support, said straightening means pressing upon the said leaf-spring at a point between the said Contact means and the said bend, for straightening out the inclined parts of the spring, whereby the latter is pre-tensioned.

6. The article claimed in claim 1, comprising a support for said leaf spring, the latter being secured to said support by means of said fastening means, said leaf-spring being provided with a longitudinal reenforcement disposed between the said contact means and the said bend, and straightening means associated with said supn port, said straightening means pressing upon the said leaf spring at a point within the said reenforced part of the spring for straightening ont the inclined parts thereof, whereby the spring is pre-tensioned.

SVEN ELOMQUIST.

STEN DANIEL VIGREN.

OF CORRECTI ON May E, 1959.,

It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: In the grant, lines land l2 reapective-I and in the heading to the printed specification, name of second inventfor Sven Gustaf Filip Blomquist" read Sven Gustaf Filip Blomqvist;

page 5, second column, line 5l, signature of first inventor, for "Sven Blomquist" read Sven Blomqvist;

in the signature to the drawings9 Sheet l, for "Sven Gustaf Pilip Blomqvist" read Sven Gustaf Filip Blomqvist; and

that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.,

Signed and sealed this 26th day of September, A., D. 1959.

(Seal) Henry Van Arsdale, Acting Commissioner of Patents., 

